SWAT team makes Buckley call
April 30, 2009 · Updated 1:52 PM
Neighborhood evacuated; man is taken unhurt
By Casey Steiner
The Courier-Herald
One mentally unstable man was very fortunate to have the Metro SWAT team training in Buckley the evening of May 24.
Just after 5 p.m. "a call came in as a distraught suicidal individual," Buckley Police Chief James Arsanto said.
The SWAT team happened to be training nearby and was dispatched to the scene at the 300 block of Park Avenue in Buckley. After more than two hours at the trailer park home where the subject had barricaded himself inside, Arsanto said "SWAT convinced him to come out without incident."
A neighbor estimated as many as 30 SWAT team members - equipped with helmets, vests, shields, guns and more - responded to the incident. The subject was transported from the scene in an ambulance without its lights or siren activated.
"The subject was unharmed and involuntarily committed," Arsanto said, explaining that the man was headed for a mental examination.
Arsanto extended his department's thanks to several citizens who were forced to evacuate their homes during the incident.
"We appreciate the citizens' cooperation and apologize for any inconvenience," Arsanto said.
Casey Steiner can be reached at csteiner@courierherald.com.
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